Expat's bridging culture gap in style

WHEN Mélanie Stevenson packed her bags in 2009 and left her hometown in France, she thought she might be gone for a year or two.

- Lewis CLARKE

Mélanie Stevenson, creator of 'The Frenglish Girl', pictured at her Bristol home

Fast-forward to 2025, and she’s not only still in the UK - she's become a voice for thousands of French expats navigating life abroad.

Based in Bedminster, the 40-year-old is the creator of The Frenglish Girl, a growing online platform that explores identity, culture, and community through the lens of bilingual family life.

She has now been nominated for the Trophées des Français du Royaume-Uni, an annual award presented to recognise members of the French community living in the UK fostering a connection between the two countries.

Originally drawn to the English language at just 11 years old, Mélanie’s passion for fluency was more than a schoolgirl whim. “I was fascinated by the English language,” she said, “and I remember trying to puzzle out song lyrics from singles I'd managed to download.” That curiosity eventually led her to a business degree partly taught in English, an exchange in the US, and a planned move to Canada that was cancelled last minute due to the 2008 financial crash.

But fate had other ideas. A job offer in London at the French-founded jewellery brand Merci Maman brought her to the UK instead. What began as a one-year contract turned into a decade-long career, helping to scale the brand from a small startup to a company worn by the Duchess of Cambridge herself.